Please Don't Say You Love Me
by lydiamartinified
Summary: Set 4 years after DoC. Yuffie confesses her feelings for Vincent, but he refuses to listen to her. And to his heart. By the time he resigned himself into loving her as much as she loved him, he was too late. Vincent/Yuffie/Reno
1. Confessions

**Please Don't Say You Love Me**

A/N: I was feeling very nostalgic with the news of Square Enix doing a remake of Final Fantasy VII so I decided to watch some videos on Youtube while listening to Gabrielle Aplin. Needless to say, after a few dozen Yuffentine fanvids later, this story was born. :) Standard disclaimers apply. My writing's a bit rusty, so forgive me if I make any errors. Reviews would be lovely!

...

* * *

Chapter 1: Confessions

* * *

"I want to be assigned a different partner for this mission,"

Reeve looked up from his pile of paperwork, looking totally unsurprised by Yuffie Kisaragi's sudden outburst.

"No." his firm statement was met with a fierce scowl.

"Then I won't do it," Yuffie spat venomously, pivoting on her heel to walk out of her boss's office. She was halfway to the door when Reeve spoke up again.

"If you give me a good reason why I should pair you up with someone else, I might reconsider."

Yuffie knew it was rude not to turn around to face Reeve, but she did not exactly want him to see her mutinous expression at the moment.

"He's getting on my nerves," she managed to blurt out after a few minutes of silence.

"Not good enough." she hated hearing the hint of amusement in his tone. There was nothing funny about her current situation. Reeve had no clue about what transpired between her and her partner though, so she could hardly blame the old geezer for acting so damned cheerful.

"I'm getting on his nerves." she tried again. She cringed inwardly because she knew that her statement was one painful truth she had never been proud to voice out loud.

"That's hardly news, Yuffie." her boss apparently seemed to agree.

Reeve could practically hear her teeth gnashing together in barely concealed irritation. Yuffie finally swivelled around to face him, the last threads of her self-control snapping.

"I just... I just don't want to be with him any longer, okay? Is that so hard to understand, Reeve?" Yuffie had clearly reached her breaking point, and Reeve kind of felt bad for baiting her. He could not begin to imagine the cause of her distress, however. He had assumed that she and her partner had gotten along just fine despite their opposite attributes.

It had been an obvious observation among everyone at WRO that the uncanny pair had grown a lot closer since Omega and Chaos returned to the planet. Vincent Valentine had become a lot less stoic and had begun to act more like an actual human being. Yuffie Kisaragi, if anything else, practically shone in the silent gunslinger's presence, miraculously unruffling Vincent's calm demeanor and even bringing out rare smiles from his lips with her crazy antics. He was also one of the few people Yuffie actually listened to, and he managed to make her stay out of trouble most of the time.

"But I thought the two of you have become friends of some sort," he commented, looking thoroughly perplexed at her revelation.

Yuffie cursed when the tears she had been so valiantly trying to hold back started to roll uncontrollably down her cheeks. She swiped angrily at her face, training her eyes upward, as if that tactic would somehow stop the flow of tears.

"Has Vincent done something to you?" he inquired in poorly concealed bafflement, motioning for her to take a seat on the chair across his table.

Yuffie bit on her bottom lip as she collapsed on the chair. She gratefully accepted the tissue Reeve handed her. "He didn't do anything, actually. It was me. I was stupid, and so damn careless..." she drifted off as more tears fell from her eyes.

"What exactly did you do, Yuffie?" Reeve inquired, waiting patiently for the young ninja to get ahold of herself so she could give him a coherent answer. She looked so small and vulnerable that he took heart.

The heir to the Wutai throne looked uncomfortable at the thought of spilling her secrets to the man who paid her salary, but after a few deep breaths, she gave him the most unimaginable answer. "I... I told him I loved him even when he begged me not to." Yuffie confessed between hiccups. A highly flabbergasted Reeve gaped at her. He knew for a fact that the ninja possessed a very brave and reckless nature, but what she did was simply astounding. He was torn between applauding her misplaced courageousness and recoiling in horror at her foolish action. "He warned me that he might not say it back. And he didn't! I wasn't really expecting him to, but he had the gall to tell me that I was too young to even know what love was!" she buried her face on the heels of her palms as she cried some more.

Reeve could do nothing but wait for her to cease her tears. He was bad at comforting women, but he understood that Yuffie must indeed be undergoing some emotional stress right now, especially after being so coldly rejected by Vincent Valentine. The least he could do was make her job easier.

"I'm really sorry to hear about that," he eventually said, unable to offer any advice or words of comfort. "I will be giving you a two-week break from work. I will also be assigning you to a different team once you return."

"B—but I don't need a vacation! I need—" Yuffie started to argue, but Reeve shook his head firmly. Yuffie rolled her eyes as she wiped the last of her tears away. She knew it was useless to argue with her boss.

"Fine." she tried her best not to sound ungrateful. "Thanks, Reeve. And please, don't tell anyone about this. I'm embarrassed enough already as it is,"

Reeve nodded, watching in pity as the young woman walked out of his office, her shoulders slumped in defeat. When the door closed behind her, he pulled out his cellphone and dialled a number.

"Vincent. You will be going with Steve for the mission in Mt. Corel. I'm afraid Yuffie has been indisposed,"

The voice at the end of the line displayed no hint of emotion. "I see." he replied after a few seconds of silence. "Do you know what's ailing her?" he asked a heartbeat later, and Reeve raised a brow at the undeniable concern in the gunslinger's tone.

"I think it would be better if you asked her yourself," Reeve advised coolly. "You are her friend after all, am I correct?"

Silence. Then, a very quiet, "Yes." came from the end of the line, sounding so resigned and filled with self-hatred that Reeve inwardly flinched.

He didn't know who was in a more difficult situation, the young ninja or the mysterious gunman. He was simply damned glad he was in neither position.

...

* * *

Vincent was not one bit pleased upon hearing Yuffie's confession of love. He had known that up to some extent she felt something special for him, seeing it in the way she looked at him, the way she went out of her way to coax a smile from his lips, and the way she did everything in her power to make him reach the closest thing to happiness, even with the most little things. He never assumed it was love, of course. He was sure he would have done the same for the rest of her friends. Besides, he wasn't even remotely loveable in the first place. He was too old, too surly, too quiet, too serious, and too messed up to deserve anyone's love, let alone Yuffie's heart.

" _Vincent, I need to tell you something."_

 _Garnet eyes raised to meet hers in a curious stare. His nimble fingers worked listlessly over her injured arm while he waited for her to continue. Her face seemed so sombre that he felt a twitch of nervousness in his gut. Yuffie was rarely serious, and when she was, she usually did not bring good news._

 _She chewed on her bottom lip, uncharacteristically silent, and Vincent's brows furrowed in concern. "What is it, Yuffie?" he asked._

 _The woman in question let out a deep, shaky exhale. She looked so torn between staying quiet and screaming her lungs out._

" _I love you."_

 _He dropped the roll of bandage he was putting on her injured arm, the strength leaving his fingers at the impact her words made on his chest. Had he even heard correctly? He wished he misheard, but his keen sense of hearing confirmed his worst suspicion. Surely she was playing a prank on him again. It had to be a joke—only it was not one bit funny this time._

 _He averted his eyes from her as he tried to calm the sudden racing of his heart. He stayed silent, hoping that his lack of response will make her stop talking._

 _"Vincent, did you hear me?" she sounded so weak and vulnerable, a far cry from the spritely ninja he knew. "I said I love-""_

 _"Stop messing around, Yuffie." he interrupted her curtly, bending over to pick up the fallen roll of bandage on the floor. He inwardly cursed when he saw how badly his hands were shaking. He had never been as affected by her teasing before, but she had crossed the line this time._

 _Her chin quivered, and her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears. "I love you, Vincent, and I—"_

" _No." Vincent cut in, his tone tinged with quiet desperation. The sight of her tears made warning bells clang in frenzied alarm inside his head."Yuffie, please. Don't say anything. I don't want to hear anymore,"_

" _But I—"_

 _Vincent shook his head at her, and the rest of the words she wanted to say so badly died in her mouth. "I'm not going to say it back, Yuffie, so you may as well just stop." it was not his intention to sound so cruel and cold-hearted, but he was so caught off-guard by her confession that his sense of self-preservation automatically started kicking in._

" _I did not say those words so I could hear them back," Yuffie informed him fervently. "I just wanted you to know, Vincent, because I'm so tired of hiding my feelings. My heart feels like it's going to burst every time you're near. I tried to tell myself that I'm not supposed to have any romantic inclinations towards you because you're way out of my league, and I know you'll never see me the way you see Lucrecia, but my stupid heart just couldn't help falling in love with everything about you-from the way you take everything in life way too seriously, the protectiveness you display, your loyalty, even your ratty cloak and your poker face! You've become the most important person in my life, Vince. I feel incomplete without you." she hastily dashed away the tears from her cheeks, letting out a breathy shudder that tore through the gunslinger's chest. Vincent seemed to have stopped breathing altogether. "Lately I've been thinking about how frequently we've been risking our necks to save the world, and I realized that I'm afraid of dying in the middle of battle one day without even getting the chance to tell you how I feel."_

 _Vincent refused to look at her. The gnawing pain in his chest was starting to suffocate him. He was horrified to realize that her words mirrored the emotions he had been striving so hard to avoid. The whispers of growing feelings he had been adamantly paying no heed to were now screaming in agony, begging to be released from the rigid confines of his seemingly still human heart._

 _He will not relent, however. She deserved so much better._

" _You are a child," he told her when he was able to find the strength to speak. "You know nothing of love, Yuffie. Perhaps when you are older, and—"_

" _I am not a child!" Yuffie's eyes turned livid. "Stop deluding yourself, Vincent. I'm twenty-three, and I'm old enough to know how to tell the difference between love and infatuation, so don't you fucking dare judge me!" she rose from her seat, wincing at the throbbing pain on her injured arm. "If you can't accept the fact that I was dumb enough to fall in love with you, then fine! But leave my maturity level out of this because I am not a damn kid anymore!"_

 _Yuffie bit hard on her lower lip to keep her sobs contained, gave him one last look that was filled with so much disappointment and heartbreak, and fled the room._

It had been five days since he last saw her. She had been purposefully avoiding him at WRO and even at Seventh Heaven, but he understood her perfectly.

At the moment, however, as he set down his cell phone after conversing with Reeve, he knew he had to talk to her at least once more to explain his side. And to apologize.

...

* * *

"Why the long face, princess?"

Yuffie did not even have the strength to roll her eyes at Reno, who took a seat beside her at the bar, looking so exuberant and enviably carefree. When she did not answer, Reno reached out to tilt her face towards him.

"You haven't been eating properly, have you?" he asked accusingly, a frown slashing his brows as he took in her hollowed cheekbones. "And you haven't been sleeping well, either," he shook his head in disapproval when he saw the bags under her eyes. His sea-green eyes were filled with genuine concern as he cupped her cheek. "What the hell happened, sweetheart?"

Yuffie took a deep breath, pulling away from his touch. She wasn't in the mood to talk, or to do anything in general. She just wanted the earth to swallow her whole so she could end her miserable life. Was falling in love and getting rejected really this painful? Why couldn't she choose to love someone less complicated? She wanted to vent out to someone so badly, but she was too embarrassed to let anyone know how she made a spectacle of herself.

She sure could use some company though. It had been three days since Reeve asked her to take a vacation, and precisely eight days, three hours and forty-seven minutes since she had last laid eyes on Vincent Valentine. Not that she was counting, really. She was tired of moping and wallowing in self-pity, but the ironic thing was, that was the only thing she also wanted to do. She hated inactivity more than anything else, but having her feelings mocked and thrown back in her face seemed to have incapacitated her temporarily.

Without really thinking, she moved forward and rested her head on Reno's shoulder, snuggling to his side as his hand automatically pulled her closer. His touch was surprisingly comforting, his company becoming a welcome distraction.

"You're not gonna cry, are you?" Reno asked worriedly, trying to peer at her eyes, which were hidden behind the curtain of her bangs.

Yuffie gave a little chuckle. "Of course not, you dumbass. Yuffie Kisaragi never sheds a tear," to her complete mortification, however, a lone tear rolled down her cheek. Reno quickly caught the droplet with his thumb.

"Liar," he told her softly.

"Fuck off," she answered weakly, and he grinned.

"Do you really want me to?" he asked, his thumb lingering on her cheek.

Yuffie slowly shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from turning into a complete mess in front of the Turk.

"You gonna tell me what's bothering you?" his gentle inquiry almost made her want to talk. Almost.

Yuffie sighed at the persistence in his voice. "I don't feel like talking about it,"

Reno tilted her head so that their foreheads were touching. "Who are you and what have you done to Yuffie Kisaragi?" he asked in a dead serious tone. "The Yuffie I know isn't one who'd know how to shut her trap, and would rather vent out her frustration with her fists rather than mope around like this,"

The young ninja gave him a head-butt that made him wince a little. "Maybe I'm starting to grow up," she told him wryly.

"Nah, you're just getting a little stale," he teased. "But I'm not gonna let you go down that dark road!"

Yuffie let out a surprised gasp when Reno suddenly pulled her up and started dragging her by the hand towards the bar's exit.

"Wait—where are we going?" she asked in surprised outrage as he lifted her off her feet and swung her rather inelegantly over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Out," Reno answered brightly. "I'm hoping you might act more like yourself when you're outside," Yuffie was too weak and hungry to fight him off, but she did manage to knock the air out of him when her boot connected solidly to his stomach.

"Put me down, Reno! And stop trying to cop a feel, I'm not dumb enough to fall for your—"

Reno surprisingly set her down, and once she righted her position, she found herself gazing up into the garnet-hued eyes of Vincent Valentine. He stood in that familiar forbidding manner she knew so well, his cold stare sweeping over the indecent way Yuffie was huddled against Reno. Suddenly she was conscious of the Turk's hand that lingered on her waist, and his warm body pressed against hers.

"Valentine," Reno nodded at Vincent in greeting. His hand did not move away from Yuffie's body, instead skimming downwards to caress her hip in an insolent display of affection. Vincent's jaw hardened, his eyes narrowing with a flash of offended anger. He did not acknowledge Reno's greeting.

"Is he giving you a hard time, Yuffie?" he asked the suddenly silent ninja. Yuffie shot him a cool glare, although her heart rate had already begun to kick up, something her body unconsciously did when he was nearby. _Stupid heart. Stupid Yuffie. Stupid Vincent._

"I don't see how that's any of your business," she told him bitingly. "Go away and find someone else to babysit, Vincent."

He sucked in his breath, his crimson eyes narrowing into slits as he scowled at her. "Where are you going?" he asked in a surly voice.

"Like I said, it's none of your business," Yuffie cocked a hand over her hip and glared right back at Vincent. "I'm a grown woman, in case you failed to notice. I can take care of myself,"

"Apparently you thought wrong," he countered brusquely. "Because you wouldn't be mixing with his company if you knew what was good for you," he gave Reno a contemptuous look.

Yuffie gave a bark of unamused laughter. "And since when have you become such an expert in knowing what's good for me?" she inquired in an insulting tone that even Reno flinched visibly. "You think you got me all figured out, Vincent? You think you know me well enough to recognize what I want and what I need?"

Vincent gave no answer, only shook his head in silent fury as he turned to walk away from them.

The sight of his retreating figure made Yuffie so furious she had to catch her breath. Ignoring the searing pain in her chest, she shouted after him, "That's right, run away like a coward and don't listen to me! That's becoming one of your newfound talents, besides being an unfeeling block of ice and an inconsiderate—"

She found herself being dragged bodily, this time by Vincent, before she could even bat an eyelash. Reno tried to intercept, but the gunslinger only shot him a deadly look, and the redhead reluctantly backed away.

"Where do you think we're going? I don't want to go anywhere with you! I hate you! I think you're the most despicable man to ever walk this planet!" Yuffie didn't care that she was getting a lot of weird looks from the passers-by as Vincent continued to pull her by the arm towards the direction of his old apartment, and she hurled curse words she heard Cid use countless times, but her insults fell on deaf ears.

The moment he closed the door of his apartment room, he turned to face her, his grip on her arm tight enough to guarantee some bruising. His eyes were bright with a mix of anger and frustration, and for a fleeting moment Yuffie felt fear rise within her. She had never seen Vincent this enraged before. Perhaps she had crossed the line with her harsh words, but he had had riled her up so hard she wanted to punch him in the face.

"I am not a coward," he said fiercely. "You may not realize this, but I..." he had started to breathe heavily. He seemed to be fighting an inner battle to get the right words out of his mouth. "I only want what's best for you."

Yuffie sneered at him. "I don't need another father, Vincent, so stop trying to act like one. I can take care of myself," she tried shaking off his hand on her arm, but he refused to budge.

A muscle twitched on Vincent's jaw. "I never said I wanted you to see me as a father figure," he said through clenched teeth.

"Then quit acting like Godo and leave me alone!"

"No." Vincent looked positively murderous. "I will only leave you alone if you cease acting like a spoiled child."

Yuffie's vision dimmed as white-hot rage filled every vein in her body. She pushed him away from her with all the strength she could muster, but he held her firmly in place.

"Don't you ever—" she rammed a closed fist against his chest, making him grunt in pain and surprise. "—call me a child again, you insensitive bastard!" she managed to hit him twice before he grabbed her wrists in an iron-clad grip.

Yuffie was so blinded by rage that a violent urge to take any form of physical action to hurt him overrode any other sensible thought she had. With great effort she managed to reach for his hair, and she yanked a few handfuls so she could level his face to hers. His eyes widened when her lips touched his in an angry assault, her teeth sinking punishingly on his bottom lip. His grip on her wrists slackened. She took advantage of her newfound freedom and wrapped her arms around his neck, her tongue sliding easily inside his half-open mouth. He tasted so good, and the cavern of his mouth was so warm. She felt his initial shock pass, and for a moment she feared he would push her away in disgust. To her utter amazement, his lashes lowered and he succumbed to her brutal kiss.

His hands found their way to her cheek and waist respectively, his gentle touch contradicting her savage attack on him. He pulled her body snug against his, and she gasped when she felt him return her kiss with an urgency she never thought he was capable of. His hot mouth drifted lightly on her jaw, trailing down to the sensitive juncture between her ear and neck.

"Is this what you want, Yuffie?" he whispered raggedly in her ear, and before she could answer, he was kissing her again. Yuffie's legs felt like jelly as his mouth slanted over hers in ardent strokes until she could no longer form a single coherent thought. Her senses were stimulated so hard that she forgot how mad she was at him.

Vincent's kiss eventually gentled, and he slowly pulled away from her. His eyes were glazed with emotions Yuffie could not even begin to decipher. She looked away hastily, afraid to see revulsion in those crimson depths.

"I hope this finally proves that I'm no longer a kid," she managed to croak out after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence. Her lips were still tingling, and her heart rate felt nowhere near normal. With unsteady legs, she tried walking past him, but he weakly grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Yuffie, I'm sorry."

Yuffie blinked up at him in utter befuddlement. "If you're apologizing for acting like a total jerk last week, then I'm afraid I'll have to decline." she told him snidely. "But if you're saying sorry because you can't say you love me back, I will grudgingly accept your apology. I mean, it's hardly your fault that I'm so unlovable and undesirable, right?" she honestly wanted to make a joke out of her pitiful situation, but alas, she ruined everything by bursting into tears again. "Besides, I have no hold over your feelings. I know I'm no match against that beautiful and sophisticated scientist you're so hung up on, and I'm not really expecting anything from you. I'm made of sterner stuff than you think, Vinnie. I'll move on, and I'll be happy with another man before you know it," she managed to twist the corners of her stiff lips in a brave smile.

Vincent looked far from pleased by her passionate pledge. "You're not unlovable," he responded gruffly. "And you are very much desirable. I am just not the right man to show you," he reached over and gently wiped away the tears that were cascading down her cheeks, but she swatted his hand away. The hollow space in his chest hurt like hell. He knew he needed to let her go, but every molecule in his body screamed that he needed her; needed her radiant presence to bring in sunlight to his otherwise gloomy life. To bring light into his darkness. He needed her like he never needed anyone before, not even Lucrecia, but that did not mean he would be selfish enough to drag her down with him in his miserable life.

"I'm sorry." he repeated, because he couldn't say it enough.

The gnawing sensation in his chest intensified when she shrugged off his hand on her shoulder. "Not as sorry as I am," she whispered sadly, before turning away to leave him alone once more.

...

* * *

"Are you alright, Yuffie?" Tifa's voice broke through Yuffie's rather bleak train of thoughts. The young ninja had been sitting alone in a dark corner of the bar, looking so pitifully morose and contemplative that Tifa felt the need to intervene.

"I'm okay, Teef," Yuffie sighed, draining her glass full of wine and pouring herself another glass before the older woman could stop her. "Just... woolgathering, I guess,"

"About Vincent?" Tifa asked gently, and Yuffie stiffened in response. "I just noticed... the two of you have been avoiding each other the past few days," she continued, but the younger woman remained uncharacteristically silent. "Have you guys been fighting?"

Yuffie shrugged as if she had no care in the world, but her trembling bottom lip betrayed her distress. "Not really, but it doesn't really matter," she mumbled. "Vincent can go to hell with his dead ex-girlfriend for all I care," she downed the rest of her drink without even batting an eyelash.

"You're giving up on him without putting up a fight?" Tifa asked dubiously. "That's not like you, Yuffie,"

Yuffie gave another careless shrug. "I already did my part, Teef. I told him how I felt, but that callous icicle king only made scornful comments about how I was too childish to even know what love was in the first place,"

Tifa clapped a hand over her mouth at Yuffie's statement. "You really told him you loved him?" she asked skeptically. At Yuffie's sombre nod of affirmation, Tifa leaned over to give her friend a comforting hug. "Oh, you poor thing. You must have given Vincent quite a shock with your confession,"

"I know that, but he didn't have to mock my feelings and call me a child!" Yuffie was unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.

Tifa's eyes were full of understanding and concern as they gazed at Yuffie. "I think Vincent only reacted in that manner as a way of self-preservation," she told the ninja in a soothing tone. "You know how the last woman he loved ended up betraying him with another man,"

Yuffie snorted derisively, but she did not contradict Tifa's comment. "He's just so confusing, Teef. When I told him about my feelings, he looked like he wanted nothing to do with me. But when he saw me with Reno the other day, he nearly unleashed the Galian Beast on us,"

Tifa's eyes brightened up at Yuffie's news. "If he's getting jealous over you and Reno, then there's hope for you yet, Yuffie," she said cheerfully. "Vincent has a stoic disposition by nature, but if you are able to ignite such emotions from him, then it only means one thing—he could be feeling something special for you too, but is just too scared to admit it,"

Yuffie rolled her eyes, but a hint of a smile crossed her lips. "I don't think he's scared at all, Teef. He's just too emotionally stunted to return my feelings,"

Tifa shook her head in disagreement. "I bet Vincent's very much capable of loving you the way you love him, Yuffie—but I really think you should help him remember how to,"

"How?" the young ninja asked cynically.

Tifa pretended to think for a moment. "Hmm... Maybe you could give him a few lessons on how to properly express his feelings?" she suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Yuffie burst out laughing for real this time. The thought of teaching Vincent how to act more human, of giving him lectures on how to express himself more fully seemed like a very ludicrous idea. If he was so determined in staying like the brooding loner that he was before she found him in Shinra Manor, then so be it. "You can't teach someone who isn't willing to learn, Tifa,"

"Just give him time to come to his senses," Tifa said encouragingly. "It'll all work out if you give him time, Yuffie."

"I can't say I'm in agreement," Yuffie answered desolately. "And like I told you, Teef, I'm not expecting anything from him. That's the least I could do for my poor heart—the lesser I expect, the lesser it'll hurt."

...

* * *

Vincent was forced to attend the annual charity ball Shinra hosted the following week, despite his determined efforts to weasel out of the occasion. Reeve had told him that everyone will be there, and his absence would be questioned if he did not attend.

So he begrudgingly agreed to come, even going as far as letting Shera and Tifa fuss over what he would be wearing. The women made him wear a simple but smartly cut suit and tie, and he had to abandon his red bandanna for a low ponytail to keep his long raven locks away from his face. Shera gushed about how handsome he looked, earning a reproving glare from Cid, while Tifa smiled and told him he had been really nice about letting them interfere with his wardrobe choice for the event.

"Yeah, I'd say it's a wise choice, man! You'll really give that cheeky Turk a run for his money over the ninja brat!" Cid commented, getting a strong jab on the ribs from Shera. Cloud and Tifa exchanged anxious looks, while Barrett made a pretence of being interested in the ceiling design of the venue's entrance hall.

"Reno and Yuffie... are going together?" he asked no one in particular. He quickly shook off the first stirrings of jealousy bubbling in his chest because he knew had no right to feel that way. He had made it clear two weeks ago that he was incapable of returning her feelings for him.

"They are," Tifa finally answered after a few moments of tense silence. "They've been practically inseparable since last week," she couldn't resist adding. Cloud frowned at his girlfriend, but she gave him an innocent look in return.

"I don't like it one fucking bit," growled Cid as he lit another stick of cigarette. "That damn Turk's too slick and smooth-talking for my peace of mind. And the way he touches the brat—"

Fury exploded behind his lids at the mental image of Reno touching Yuffie indecently. He was filled with strongest urge to break something, Reno's face in particular.

What made things worse was that Yuffie chose to descend the stairs at that precise monent, with Reno at her side. She was wearing a silver strapless mermaid dress that hugged her compact figure in all the right places. Her eyes were lined with kohl, and her lips were painted red. She looked every inch an adult that they all had to physically reel back in shock.

Vincent had long reconciled with the fact that Yuffie was no longer a child, and the sight that greeted his crimson eyes completely confirmed his realization. He really should have known better than to accuse her of being a child, because she certainly did not look like one. Or kiss like one, for that matter. His gaze riveted towards those tantalizing lips, and his thoughts catapulted back to the moment when she kissed him. His face felt hot all of a sudden, and he was filled with the sudden urge to loosen his necktie and take her away with him. His heart squeezed painfully when he saw Reno holding her hand.

Yuffie and Reno went up to them to exchange pleasantries. Cid had to cough a couple of times before managing to string two sentences together.

"I never thought I'd say this but... damn, you look so gorgeous, brat!" Cid patted her on the shoulder, his eyes proud. "And you," he glared at Reno. "You try to do anything funny and I'll make sure my fist is the last thing you'll ever see, ya hear me?"

Barrett nodded in agreement from behind, flexing his muscles menacingly at the unfazed Turk.

"Aww, Cid! I didn't know you cared!" Yuffie joked, a teasing light in her dark gray eyes. She turned to Tifa and Shera, giving both women a tight hug and complimenting their outfits. She laughed at Cloud's hair, which still stuck out in all directions despite his obvious attempt to tame the spiky blond locks with gel. She asked Barrett how Marlene was doing, and he happily regaled how well she was performing in school. Finally she turned to face Vincent, who literally managed to stun her into silence with his handsomeness. He was wearing a very smart-looking black suit, with a matching red tie. He had also abandoned his gold gauntlet, leaving Yuffie to admire his bare, long-fingered hands. His hair had been slicked back with a ponytail, revealing the perfectly chiseled contours of his face. He looked so young and compelling that he attracted a lot of curious female eyes in the room.

"Yuffie," the way his voice caressed her name sent shivers down her spine. "You look beautiful."

"So do you," Yuffie said absently, her mouth going dry at the sheer sight of him. Her hand flew to her mouth when she realized what she said. "I—I mean, thank you. Yep, that's what I was going to say—thank you!" her cheeks were suffused with color as he continued to stare at her, an amused smile curling at the corners of his lips at her adorable slip up.

"C'mon, princess, let's dance," Reno cut in smoothly, taking Yuffie's hand and escorting her to the dance floor before Vincent could say anything else.

He spent the rest of the night watching them dance, trying with all his willpower not to pull out Cerberus and empty its bullets into the smirking face of the redheaded Turk. He nursed the ache in his chest with a few glasses of whiskey, although it did little to dull the pain he felt. After over two hours of quietly observing them dance and flirt, Reno unwillingly left Yuffie's side to stand beside Rufus while he made his speech.

"You know, you really should make a move on her before Reno completely steals her from under your nose," Cloud suddenly appeared at his side, his blue-eyed gaze pensive and filled with concern.

Vincent swallowed the rest of his whiskey, relishing the temporary numbness the fluid gave his chest. "She's too young for me."

A frown marred Cloud's forehead. "No, she's not. She's almost twenty-four, and you're—well, chronologically you'd be over sixty, but your body's been frozen for decades, and you're probably not much older than her now,"

Vincent eyed the swordsman warily. "That doesn't matter. I'm too physically and emotionally messed up, and the last thing I'd want to do is taint her with my darkness."

Cloud looked totally sympathetic, understanding dawning in his blue eyes. He too, had been in a similar dilemma once. "Would you rather hand her over to Reno without as much of a fight, then?" he asked bluntly.

Vincent closed his eyes and did his best to tamp down the feeling of regret rising within him. "If that will be good for her, then I can try." he answered monotonously.

"Won't you at least tell her how you feel?" Cloud urged.

"She's better off not knowing." Vincent said with a note of finality.

The blonde man exhaled in disappointment. "I really think you should give yourself a chance to be happy with her—I know you may be feeling unworthy, but if she had been brave enough to tell you she loved you, it only means she wants you bad enough, even with your so-called flaws and all."

Vincent's crimson eyes swivelled towards Cloud in alarm. "How did you know about that?" he couldn't help but ask.

Cloud grinned guiltily. "Yuffie had been indulging in spirits the past week—she's been driving Tifa crazy with her demands for hard liquor. She can get really loose-tongued when drunk and heartbroken, you know,"

Vincent turned to assess Yuffie, who was standing alone by the pillar across where Rufus was speaking. That's when he noticed that she had lost weight. Her cheeks were hollowed, and her eyes looked tired underneath all the eye makeup she wore.

Cloud's eyes followed Vincent's fixed stare at the young ninja. "She hasn't been eating properly lately. I'm sure she hasn't been sleeping much either, because I'd see her climbing the roof at night and she'd only come back down at the crack of dawn, her eyes red and puffy,"

Vincent did not linger to hear the rest of Cloud's revelations. Wordlessly he stood up and walked over to the princess of Wutai, who seemed absorbed with Rufus Shinra's speech.

Yuffie's eyes widened when he reached for her hand and encased it on his own. She tried not to gape at his bold gesture, but failed miserably. "Let's go," he said, tugging her towards the ballroom's exit.

"Wait—what—where are we going, Vincent?" she asked with a hint of apprehension in her voice.

Vincent did not break stride as he and Yuffie made their way outside. "Somewhere you can eat," he answered vaguely.

Yuffie eyed him quizzically. "There's a lot of food inside, thank you very much—and besides, Reno would be worried if—"

She gave a yelp when he stopped walking so suddenly that she crashed bodily into him. His hands automatically reached out to steady her teetering figure.

"What the hell, Vincent? Can't you be more careful?! I'm not exactly used to wearing heels and if I take one wrong step I could break my neck and—" she paused in her tirade, startled to see pain etched on his handsome features. "Vincent?..." she called out imploringly.

"Are you... are you and Reno together now?" he asked with a touch of uncertainty, his brows furrowed.

Yuffie eyed him in puzzlement, willing herself to ignore the warmth of his fingers wrapped around her arms. She wanted to lie so she could gauge his reaction, but she knew she would only be setting herself up for disappointment. Vincent would never be jealous of Reno. Not that he had any reason to be. "No," she finally responded in a glum voice.

"Do you... like him?" he seemed genuinely embarrassed when the question came tumbling past his lips, his usually pale cheeks turning slightly pink in silent mortification.

Her brows slammed together as she tried to decipher the motive behind his incessant questions. Was he genuinely interested because he cared, or was he only looking for more proof to shove her confession of love right back in her face?

"It doesn't matter," she told him with a bitter smile. "I mean, it's not as if it would mean anything to you, Vincent."

Vincent looked like he wanted to say something, but he remained maddeningly silent. Finally, after a few deep breaths, he said gruffly, "It should not matter to me," he hesitated, his gaze holding hers so steadily she felt her breath catch in her throat. "But I can't deny that it does, Yuffie. It matters greatly to me,"

Yuffie's heart felt ready to leap out of her chest. "But why? Why do you even care?" she asked, unable to mask the desperation in her voice.

His grip on her arms tightened, and his garnet eyes smoldered with an unfathomable emotion. "Because I..." he exhaled slowly, looking so pitifully defeated at being unable to voice out his thoughts that Yuffie's heart broke. "Yuffie, I... I can't do this. I'm sorry." he slowly let go of her, and Yuffie felt as though she had been doused in ice-cold water.

"It's okay. I understand," her eyes stung with the threat of tears, but she refused to cry over Vincent Valentine again, no matter how much her heart hurt. "Excuse me," she spun around to head back inside, her head bowed.

Vincent could only watch in helpless silence as Yuffie walked back to Reno. He kept repeating to himself that it was all for her well-being, that he was staying away because she deserved someone better, until the night drew to a close and he saw the redheaded Turk lean down to brush a kiss on her porcelain cheek.

...

* * *

A/N: I'm not sure if everyone here came as OOC. I'm trying to make Yuffie more mature here, and Vincent more in touch with his human emotions. Let me know what you guys think!


	2. Regrets

Please Dont's Say You Love Me

A/N: So here's the second chapter! Standard disclaimers apply. And a bunch of thanks to the people who posted their reviews. You guys are wonderful. :)

...

* * *

Chapter 2: Regrets

* * *

Vincent was in a foul mood.

Yuffie had sauntered towards him with a huge smile plastered on her lips last Monday, her eyes clear of any heartbroken traces he may have unintentionally left since they last saw each other.

"Reno asked me out on date tonight," she announced cheerfully. "We're gonna watch a movie and have dinner afterwards,"

Vincent paused, trying his best to ignore the sudden painful clench in his chest. He had no idea why the hell she was telling him this. He also had no plan in responding to her gloating statement. Was she honestly expecting him to congratulate her? To give her a pat on the back for managing to find someone else to set her romantic sights on?

"Vince, I know you're probably wondering why the heck I'm telling you about this," Yuffie started, her megawatt smile beginning to get on Vincent's nerves. "I just wanted to make things clear, okay? I am not trying to make you jealous or anything—not that you would get jealous because obviously you're _not really_ interested in me—I just wanted to let you know about the progress I'm making because I don't want you to feel burdened or whatever because I told you I loved you. I mean yeah, I do _still_ love you—" he loathed the casual way she mentioned her feelings about him, and how she pretended not to notice the dark scowl that flitted across his features. "—and I don't think that's gonna fade anytime soon, but I'm guessing that the earlier I start dating other guys, the faster I'll be able to get over you, right? So yeah, you're pretty safe from me. I'm not gonna stalk you or anything. Reeve has also assigned me to a different team so we won't be seeing much of each other anymore. You gotta admit, it's a very brilliant plan, right, Vinnie?" she said all these in a single breath. Although her tone was cheerful, there was an underlying hint of condescension in her voice; it was as if she was riling him up on purpose.

A muscle twitched on Vincent's cheek. The urge to wrap his hands on her slim arms and shake some sense into her was so overwhelming that he had to dig his nails into his palms to stop himself. He knew he shouldn't be feeling so deflated with her decision, but each word felt like a lash on his heart. Shouldn't he be glad that she was giving up on him? Wasn't that what he wanted in the first place?

"I'm also going to forget about how amazing your lips felt like," Yuffie added as an afterthought, her pensive gaze dropping to his half-open mouth. Vincent's heart pounded loudly against his ribcage as the curling heat of desire spread down his belly. "In fact, I may try making out with Reno later tonight. He'd make a very active participant, don't you think?"

He wanted to bang his head on the steel walls of the headquarters until he passed out. The damned ninja was literally torturing him. He wanted to toss her over his shoulder, lock her up with him in his office, and just kiss her senseless. She was unhinging the most barbaric human emotions from the shackled confines of his brain. The insane feeling of jealousy coursing within him when Lucrecia chose Hojo was a very pale contrast to the possessiveness he felt towards Yuffie at the moment. He was not himself anymore, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. He had grown far too used to being able to contain his emotions before Yuffie Kisaragi came barging into his life and turning everything upside down.

"Yuffie..." his voice came out hoarse and unsteady. His fingers itched to touch her, and her lingering gaze on his mouth felt like a caress that made his skin prickle all over. "Just... do what makes you happy." the lack of conviction was very much tangible in his tone.

Yuffie's smile dimmed, and her chin trembled slightly. It was enough for Vincent to realize that she wasn't as collected as she wanted to show him.

"Don't worry, I will." she said quietly before walking away from him.

* * *

On Tuesday afternoon he saw Reno waiting for Yuffie at the entrance of WRO, a bouquet of sunflowers in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other.

"Think she'll like these, Valentine?" he asked lazily when he caught sight of the grumpy-looking gunslinger. "That Yuffie Kisaragi is a pretty hard woman to please—she says I have to treat her like a princess and buy her shit before she'd let me lay one finger on her,"

Vincent only grunted in response, suppressing the urge to sink the claws of his gold gauntlet on the redhead's puffed out chest.

"At first I thought about giving her some materia, but I think it's about time that she gets some gifts that real women love getting," Reno revealed with a shrug, not seeming to notice the murderous glint in Vincent's eyes.

"Are you implying that I'm not a real woman?" Yuffie suddenly appeared behind Vincent, a hand cocked on her hip as she gave the redhead a glare.

"Hell no!" Reno exclaimed. "After seeing you in that dress last night, I'd be insane to see you as anything less than a woman!"

Yuffie burst out laughing, her eyes looking pleased with Reno's presents. "Are those for me?" she asked in a fake excited voice. "You should've known by now that the easiest way to my heart is through truckloads of materia!"

Reno's face fell. "I thought you'd prefer a much more girly present than—" he clamped his mouth shut when Yuffie leaned up to brush a kiss on his cheek.

"Just kidding! I adore the flowers, and I love how you remembered that I have an incurably sweet tooth," She gave a surprised giggle when Reno pulled her into his arms for a hug.

Vincent shook his head in disgust and walked away from them before he completely lost control of his temper and accidentally transform into the Galian Beast. He would not be held responsible if he turned into his other shape and tore the conceited Turk limb from limb.

* * *

On Wednesday morning Yuffie just wouldn't stop humming love songs under her breath while they were training for battle, which irritated him to no end. He ended up trashing two training rooms because he had been so intent on venting out his frustration on the battle simulators. Cid looked totally baffled when Vincent came knocking at his doorstep later that evening, mentioning that he needed a drink and some company.

"Is this about the brat?" Cid asked slyly, watching as Vincent refilled his ninth glass of liquor. "She and Turky giving you problems?"

Vincent took a long swallow of whiskey before answering. "Yes." was the only answer he could offer.

"I'm guessin' you're startin' to like the brat, but you're scared as hell to even consider those feelings you're gettin'," Cid said wisely. At Vincent's carefully blank face, he continued, "I'd be frightened as hell too, if I were in your place. Hell, imagine falling in love with a loud, brash, opinionated, and totally immature woman like Yuffie-it's almost like having a damned death wish or something!" the sympathetic expression on Cid's face vastly annoyed the gunslinger.

"I'm not in love with her," Vincent grumbled, feeling the crests of his cheeks heat up. He was too old to blushing, damn it. "I just..."

Cid guffawed at the expression on the gunslinger's face. "Fuck, you're blushing like a teenager!" Vincent glared at Cid, but the airship pilot only laughed harder. "This is priceless as shit-who'd have thought that it'll take someone like the brat to make the great Vincent Valentine fall in love?"

Vincent's patience was wearing thin. He suddenly regretted inviting Cid for a drink. "I'm not in love with Yuffie. She is a child." he repeated flatly, and Cid sobered up immediately at the cold firmness in Vincent's voice.

"Okay, time to get serious, man." Cid twisted in his seat to face Vincent fully. "I just need to ask a few questions, and you need to give the most honest answers so we could get some damned facts straight," he looked at the gunslinger dead in the eye. "First question-do you think that the brat's hot?"

Vincent's frown deepened, but he responded nonetheless. "No. I think she deserves to be called something more respectable than that word."

"What'cha have in mind?" Cid's brows were raised so high that creases formed on his forehead.

Vincent told him the first word that came into his mind. "She's beautiful."

Cid nodded in approval at Vincent's answer. "Okay, next question-have you ever thought about her naked? Don't you dare shake your head at me-just say yes or no, damn it!"

Vincent did not want to stoop so low as to answer Cid's highly intrusive question, but the blonde pilot was too persuasive. And the alcohol had somehow loosened his tongue. "Sometimes." he finally mumbled, dipping his chin to his neck, looking terribly uncomfortable with his confession. Cid looked as though he was trying his best not to laugh.

"What about having sex with her? Have you ever thought about that?" Cid's eyes challenged him to answer his inquiry. If Vincent were sober, he would have punched Cid on the face by then, but he was too caught up in his misery and intoxication to keep his mouth closed or think of how obscene his questions were.

"Frequently." his confession made Cid gape in astonishment. When the pilot was able to recover from the surprise, he murmured, "God fucking damn it. That just proves that you don't really think that the brat's a kid anymore,"

Vincent took another swig of whiskey before replying. "I've long noticed that she's no longer physically a child," he said. "She may be in her twenties, but she still acts like a ten-year-old,"

Cid nodded his agreement, but his expression was reflective. "That doesn't stop you from wanting her, am I right?" Vincent did not make any acknowledgement that he agreed with the pilot, but his silence strongly hinted that he shared the same sentiment. "Here's a piece of advice, man-if you really want her, don't let that scumbag Turk take her away from you,"

Vincent drank the rest of his liquor, his fingers trembling slightly as he refilled his glass. "It's not that easy, Cid. I'm not fit for her. I will only taint her with my darkness. I want her to have a chance to live the life that she deserves, with a man who is not as flawed as I am. Reno may not be perfect, but he's young and had not been horribly altered by countless experiments. She deserves a lot more than I can give her,"

Cid looked overwhelmed with Vincent's heartfelt statement. "But what if she doesn't give a shit about all the reasons you just mentioned?" the pilot asked seriously. "That she actually loves you enough to accept every terrible fucking inch of you?"

"Then she's a big fool."

Cid felt a pang of pity for the ninja. It was painstakingly obvious that Vincent was fully decided not to love her, damn his stupid pride and sense of honor.

"Honestly man, I think you'd be a bigger fool if you let the damned brat go."

Vincent left shortly and staggered back to his apartment, his brain silently concurring with Cid.

* * *

The little imp came to work with a bruise on her neck on Thursday morning. He went to her before he thought the better of it, his palm reaching out to touch the purple mark. She gave a start at the contact, and she shrunk away from him like a scalded kitten.

"Did Reno do this?" he was unable to conceal the rage in his voice.

"Get off my back, Vincent." she clearly wasn't in the mood to discuss anything with him. He would not let her escape, however. He blocked the doorway leading to the main headquarters, glaring down at her as he waited for her to answer his inquiry.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked softly, but his crimson eyes were livid.

"He didn't," Yuffie finally replied. Her gray eyes stared up defiantly at Vincent. "We just got a bit rough while making out last night," she explained scathingly.

Vincent's heartbeat roared against his ears. The image of Yuffie and Reno touching each other so indecently unleashed the pent-up fury he had been striving to control the past three days. He wanted to dismember the damned Turk for daring to touch Yuffie. And Yuffie for letting him. "I never took you for a loose woman before. Are you really getting that desperate?" the words went tumbling out of his mouth before he could take them back.

Yuffie's eyes grew wide at his crude words. She never knew he was capable of saying something so mean until that moment. Her hand cracked solidly against his cheek, and she walked away from him before he could move a single muscle. He tried seeking her out for the rest of the day to apologize, but Reeve told him that she had decided to take the day off. She had turned off her cellphone as well. Tifa regretfully informed him that Yuffie went out with Reno when he stopped by Seventh Heaven to look for the missing ninja.

The rain had been pouring steadily since that afternoon, but he had refused to budge from his place and had gruffly declined the umbrella Cloud had offered him. He patiently waited at the bar's entrance until she came back late in the evening with the smug-looking Turk. Now he stood across them, cold and miserable under his red cloak, his dark hair dripping wet. He wanted nothing more than to pull out Cerberus and shoot the bastard until he lay in a bleeding heap on the ground, but he knew that it will only infuriate Yuffie more.

The female ninja looked momentarily confused at the sight of Vincent standing under the rain, but she hastily averted her gaze from his imposing figure. "Yuffie, we need to talk." he said quietly.

Yuffie shot him a highly antagonistic glower. She turned to Reno and murmured, "Thanks for walking me home. I had fun, Reno. I'll see you again soon," The redhead nodded in understanding, planting a kiss on her forehead before turning to leave. She brushed past the gunslinger to head inside Seventh Heaven, but his tight grip on her shoulder forced her to pause mid stride.

"If you're planning on drowning yourself here in the rain, be my guest. I'm heading inside where it's dry and warm, thank you very much." she told him bitingly.

Vincent looked at her imploringly. "Please... I just need you to listen to me for a few moments."

She turned her frosty gray eyes on Vincent and crossed her arms over her chest. "If you're thinking of grovelling at my feet and begging for my forgiveness, the answer is no. I may have given you a free pass for belittling my emotions and calling me a child, but I draw the line at being labelled as a slut." her voice caught, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "You know what, Vincent? I never thought I'd say this but... I hate you." Vincent's face blanched at the volatile loathing in her voice. "I hate you so fucking much because you're so afraid to love me back but you won't allow me to be happy with someone else. You're selfish, narrow-minded, and judgmental. I hate how you never appreciated—"

The rest of her heated tirade was lost in Vincent's mouth. He kissed her hard and angrily, his hands cradling the sides of her face as he searched for the right angle to accommodate his demanding lips and tongue. Yuffie was too stunned to move at first, the umbrella she was carrying falling with a plop on the ground. When her mind was able to comprehend the fact that Vincent was kissing her, she tried to pull away, her hands feebly pushing at his chest. His hands travelled from her face down to her nape and back, pulling her nearer until her body molded wantonly against his. The friction of his cold lips against hers caused a frisson of sparks that made any other rational thoughts fly right out of her head. His tongue boldly stroked the warm cavern of her mouth, his teeth scraping on her bottom lip. Her arms seemed to have a will of their own as they encircled his neck. Her fingers sank into the wet locks of his hair. She arched her body closer to him, straining to reach every part of him that she could with her hands, and his breath whooshed past his lips at her helpless response.

Yuffie somehow managed to speak amidst the cloudy haze of passion she felt pulsing in her system. "What do you want from me, Vincent?" she asked despairingly as she gazed up into his bright crimson eyes.

Vincent swallowed convulsively, seeming incapable of giving an adequate reply. Yuffie took a step back, unable to stop the hot stream of tears from her eyes. Fortunately it was still raining so the pelting drops camouflaged the tears that leaked down her cheeks. His silence hurt much more than his cruel insults earlier. The confusion in his gaze proved that he did still did not know what the hell to do with her.

"I... I don't know..."

Yuffie let out a shaky exhale, ignoring the splintering ache in her chest as she stared at him square in the eye. She was getting fed up with his inconsistency. "You can't just kiss me and tell me that you don't know what you want! You have no right to insult me and act like a jealous boyfriend over Reno, then tell me that you don't want me!" she screamed at him, her body vibrating in outrage. "If you can't make up your mind about what you really want, just leave me alone! I'm not going to let you break my heart again, Vincent—so please, if you really care about me at all—get the hell out of my life!"

She ran inside Seventh heaven before she broke down completely in front of him.

* * *

The following weeks went by in a blur. Vincent and Yuffie did not speak to each other since that rainy evening. He complied with her request and avoided her as much as possible, while she pretended that he did not exist. It has not escaped his notice that Reno did not come by to visit her anymore. Had she decided to stop seeing him? The notion sparked a ray of hope within him. She deserved someone better than a playboy like Reno. Not that he was any better than the Turk.

One afternoon he saw her being assisted out of the airship by two WRO soldiers, her arm encased in a sling and one thigh wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. His stomach churned with self-directed anger because he was not able to protect her when that was what he was supposed to be doing. His feet moved on their own accord as he rushed forward to meet her.

"What happened?" he asked one of the soldiers, but his garnet-hued eyes were fixed on the young ninja. Yuffie's eyes dropped to the floor, a frown marring her smooth forehead her shoulders stiffening in discomfiture.

"Miss Yuffie pushed one of our infantrymen from harm's way and got hit on the shoulder by the—"

Yuffie cleared her throat, looking embarrassed. "If you want a lowdown on what happened in the mission, go ask someone else," she cut in rudely with an angry glare at Vincent. "My leg feels like it's on fire and I'd really like to go the clinic to get myself fixed up, if that's okay with you guys,"

The soldiers immediately hastened to walk Yuffie to the clinic, leaving Vincent to stare in agonized worry after them. He definitely deserved the harsh way she was treating him. He had brought her so much pain, made her cry too many times, and had ruthlessly broken not only her heart, but her spirit as well.

He would keep his distance as an atonement for his sins.

...

* * *

"I don't understand why I wasn't asked to do this mission," Vincent practically growled at Reeve. Yuffie had been assigned to slay a particularly hard to capture beast prowling the village near Kalm, and he was surprised that Reeve had asked Gavin to come with her instead when he was clearly more familiar with the terrain than the young man was.

Reeve merely looked amused at the agitated expression on the gunslinger's face. "Yuffie is just as knowledgable about the location as you are, and Gavin is perfectly capable of assisting her in terminating the beast,"

"But this beast you are asking them to kill is highly unpredictable and dangerous," Vincent argued. "Yuffie got injured a few days ago, and I don't think she's well enough to do this mission. Gavin has also not been given sufficient training to deal with that sort of creature,"

Reeve entwined his fingers together and splayed them across his abdomen as he leaned back on his chair. He regarded Vincent with a look of curiosity. "You sure are getting quite concerned over Yuffie's welfare these past days even if you no longer speak to each other, " he observed in a brutally honest tone.

Vincent did not contradict his boss's accusation. "I just want to make sure they get the proper back up they need," he mumbled, shuffling uneasily on his feet.

"And by proper back up you mean yourself?" Reeve asked, his brows raised. "If I may speak frankly, I think Yuffie is old enough to take care of herself. You are acting too damn protective, Vincent."

Vincent froze, a flash of guilt crossing his face. Reeve took in the forlorn expression that looked utterly foreign in the gunslinger's features and the realization that dawned on him felt like a swift kick in the stomach; Vincent Valentine was just as hopelessly in love with Yuffie as she was with him.

"Tell me, Vincent, has something happened between you and Yuffie? She had been pretty adamant about refusing to be on the same team as you are. That's the reason why she would be working with Gavin from now on," Reeve continued bluntly. "She made it quite clear that she no longer wanted you as a partner in the missions,"

The gunslinger looked as though he was stabbed in the chest with Reeve's announcement. "We... we just... have a little misunderstanding," he said after a few silent moments. At his boss's raised brows, he was forced to continue. "Yuffie's... she's very important to me. I know that she doesn't want to see me but... I just want to make sure she gets the protection that she needs,"

Reeve was unable to contain the wry smile that formed on his lips. "It is obvious you will be following them with or without my permission in any case. You may as well just go, then—and make sure to inform Yuffie that I'm not the one who sent you."

...

* * *

Vincent was aghast to find the village on fire. Panic rose within him when he saw the piles of dead bodies littering the ground, the red flames licking everything in sight. Houses and trees were burned to the ground. The pungent smell of incinerated bodies and of blood filled his nostrils. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he recognized Gavin struggling to crawl towards his direction, deep gashes on his back oozing considerable amounts of blood , scratch marks running down the lines of his face. His right leg was bent at a grotesque angle, and more wounds decorated his ashen skin.

Vincent rushed forward to help the fallen soldier. "Gavin, where is Yuffie?" he asked urgently as he carefully dragged Gavin to safety. The young man coughed up blood, and tears began rolling down his cheeks.

"She—she—monster—fire—" he tried to speak, but more blood dripped from his mouth. Vincent quickly called the headquarters for more back up. His whole body trembled with primal fear as he rushed towards the burning village to search for Yuffie.

 _If anything happened to her..._

Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE came barreling out of Cid's airship a few minutes later, and together they assisted the back up team of WRO in putting out the fire. Vincent and Yuffie were nowhere to be seen.

"What the fuck happened here?" Cid growled as he helped haul the injured soldiers to safety. "Tuesti needs to train the brat and her team more damn hard by the looks of this fuckin' mess!"

"Reeve told me that Vincent's here too," Cloud said. "He came to check on Yuffie,"

"I think I see Vincent!" Tifa called out a few feet away from Cloud. They saw the familiar red cloaked figure crouched on the ground, and they all ran towards the gunslinger. Tifa let out a loud gasp when she saw the unrecognizable figure on the ground next to Vincent. Tears rushed down her face as she sobbed against Cloud's shoulder. The blonde swordsman's mouth hung open, his body frozen in mute shock.

"No—this can't be—" Barrett choked out, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably as a cry of anguish rushed past his lips. Cid stood in catatonic disbelief behind them, his eyes on the familiar Conformer next to the charred remains of a seemingly petite person. They had all quickly recognized the burnt moogle cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

No one noticed the silent sobs that wracked the gunslinger's frame.

* * *

The smell of white roses filled the room. Hundreds, possibly thousands of the white bloom decorated every surface, including the white casket where her remains lay. It was Wutaian custom to pay respect to the dead for three days before burying them. Three days of pure agony, and it wouldn't end anytime soon, even long after she joins the departed in the Life Stream.

Godo wept openly in front of the casket, while throngs of people who paid their respects prayed for the soul of the young woman who had lost her life so abruptly trying to save the villagers in Kalm.

Tifa sat silently in one corner, her head on Cloud's shoulder, her eyes wet and red-rimmed. Barrett was whispering soothing words to Marlene, who was trying to muffle her cries with her small hands. Denzel was also sobbing, and Shera was rubbing his shoulder consolingly. Cid was outside, smoking his third pack of cigarettes, his hand reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes every once in a while. Nanaki sat by the shadows, his furry head bowed morosely while Cait Sith whimpered in grief. Only a certain gunslinger was absent from the ceremony. No one had seen him ever since they brought Yuffie's remains home four days ago. Reeve visited everyday and made sure that the ceremony was solemn and everything was well taken care of.

No one wanted to believe that the young ninja was truly gone, but the DNA tests confirmed their worst fears. Reeve blamed himself, but everyone knew that it truly was an unfortunate accident, an unpleasant consequence of being tasked to save the planet.

It seemed that Reeve was not the only one who felt guilty over Yuffie's demise, however.

Vincent had prided himself a very strong person. Experience molded him into the person that he had become, and he had gone through enough hardships and pain that he deemed himself capable enough to handle emotional stress, no matter how intense and difficult they were.

He was not prepared for the impact of losing Yuffie, however. The heartache was a million times worse than how he felt about Lucrecia's betrayal. He literally felt himself die all over again, realizing that the woman he had come to cherish the most was gone—she would no longer be there to cheer him up, to tease him, to give him the sweet smiles that fuelled his soul. She was dead, and he never even got the nerve to tell her how much she meant to him. How much her presence changed him, had filled his darkness with light and laughter. How he had fallen in love with her despite his valiant struggle not to. Regrets swallowed him whole, and every waking moment had become a nightmare ever since. His mind was constantly filled with the horrible images of her burnt, unrecognizable body, backtracking to the times when he shut her out, and to the moment when he had so coldly rejected her. His mind toyed with the idea of ending his own existence and joining her in the Lifestream, but as luck would have it, he was damned to live for eternity. This was his punishment for his sins. He had failed the two women he loved. He was useless.

He didn't realize he was still capable of producing tears until he felt the hot liquid slipping uncontrollably from his closed lids.

...

* * *

A/N: Yep, this is a pretty short chapter. And angsty to boot, eh? Reviews would be very lovely! Thanks for reading. :)


	3. Second Chances

Please Don't Say You Love Me

A/N: Hi! So here's the last chapter of this story. Standard disclaimers apply. I'm writing this mostly to please myself, but your feedbacks would make me very happy! A huge thanks to those who gave my review box some lovin' last time. :)

* * *

Chapter 3: Second Chances

* * *

Every atom in her body hurt like the devil. She tried to pry her eyes open, but they refused to budge. She attempted to speak, but her mouth felt like it was filled with sand. Her soul felt oddly disconnected to her body. Every nerve ending screamed in agony, and she literally felt like she was on fire. She heard panicked voices she could not recognize, felt strange hands that seem to be doing a lot of things to her—she heard one female mention needing to give her heart a jumpstart, while the others pumped at her chest and one particularly cruel man jammed a tube down her throat "to help her breathe", as he so kindly put it. She drifted in and out through the layers of consciousness, unable to do anything but succumb to their merciless ministrations.

There had been a very bright blaze of light at the end of the tunnel, enticing her into going right through it, but a dark shadow appeared and pleaded her not to. The dark shadow kept her company while she waited for the strange people to finish whatever they wanted to do with her body. The shadow was quiet most of the time, but she found solace in its presence. It reminded her of someone, someone she had wanted so badly to forget, to cut all ties with. It seemed like she was finally getting her wish, because she could not remember his name, no matter how hard she tried. Now that she thought about it, she did not remember much of anything at the moment. Everything was a blur of nothingness. She was nothing more than a speck in the dark abyss that engulfed her surroundings.

* * *

"I think she's finally coming around."

" _Finally_ is the magic word," a sardonic voice replied, but it was laced with an undeniable flood of relief. "Who would have thought that it would take her this long to regain consciousness?"

Yuffie's eyes fluttered open, her mind muddled with the after effects of the countless drugs she had been infused with. She tried opening her mouth to speak, but was shocked to realize that a tube had been crammed down her throat. It was connected to a ventilator that was obviously pumping air into her depressed lungs. Her right arm was encased in a heavy cast, while the other one was wrapped in bandages. The only movement she could do at the moment was wiggle her fingers weakly.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" she recognized the blue-green eyes of Reno at once. He was gazing down at her so tenderly she wanted to weep. "Aside from feeling shitty, of course. You got both lungs punctured. Your spleen exploded inside your stomach and you lost enough blood to keep a thousand vampires alive until the next century. Your whole back was burned so badly we had to put skin grafts to make it look normal again. You're arm's broken, which would have been easily healed with a cure materia, but the beast that attacked you also filled your bloodstream with enough poison that even the strongest of materia cannot counter its effects on your body." The nonchalant manner he talked about her injuries did not conceal the obvious fact that she should have been dead. She couldn't answer him because of the tube obstructing her mouth, so she gingerly lifted her left arm to touch him. His fingers found hers, and she swore his eyes were misty with emotion. "I really thought you were a goner," there was a hitch in his voice as he said this.

Her own eyes grew damp with tears that dribbled down the sides of her face, soaking her pillow wet. She couldn't remember much of anything, and her head had began aching the moment she tried. It was painstakingly obvious that she had somehow escaped death by a hairsbreadth, but she only recalled fragmented pieces of the incident.

"Reno," Rude's voice sounded from the corner of the room. "Should we inform Cloud and the others that she's alive?"

Yuffie was shaking her head before Reno could even answer his comrade's inquiry. The redhead leaned down to face her more fully, his hand giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. "Why don't you want them to know, Princess?" he asked worriedly. "They've been grieving for months, as far as I know. The only reason why we haven't told them that we found you was because you made me promise not to tell anyone before you fell into a coma,"

Yuffie was filled with the strongest urge to rip out the damned tube from her mouth to explain herself, but she felt very weak. The monitors assessing her vital signs began beeping loudly, and the medical team came bursting into the room before Reno could say anything else.

She was vaguely aware of a nurse plunging a needle on her arm, and everything went blissfully black once more.

* * *

Yuffie woke up six days later, rejoicing upon the realization that the tube had been removed from her mouth. When she cleared her parched throat and tried to speak, however, she was horrified to find out that her vocal cords were not functioning. She reached up to remove the oxygen mask from her face, but a warm hand stopped her.

"They said it could take a couple of days before you get your voice back," Reno told her with a smile. "Being intubated for a long period of time could really do some serious stress on your vocal cords, but you'll be screaming to your heart's content before you know it,"

"How long have I been knocked out?" she asked with a confused frown. Vincent had told her before that the Turks were trained to lip read, and sure enough, Reno looked like he understood the words that slipped silently from her mouth.

"Almost two months," he answered, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Two months?!" she mouthed in surprised outrage. "What the hell happened to me?! And where are we?!"

"We're in Shinra's private health care facility," he explained. "Only Shinra's employees are admitted here, but you're a special case," Yuffie did not miss the color that flooded his cheeks. "I—I requested the boss to take you in, and for some weird reason, he agreed. He also demanded that everyone here was not allowed to disclose any details about you to anyone outside the hospital,"

"But why?" she asked in bafflement.

Reno schooled his features into a calm mask as he answered. "You don't remember what happened in Kalm?" at the vehement shake of her head, he continued. "You almost died in the fire. Reeve had sent you to dispatch a monster that had killed the majority of the village's population. You called me for back up when things started going awry, and I uh— I managed to find you and we barely escaped from the burning village," he scratched the back of his head, looking uncomfortable at admitting that he did her a favor. "Then just as you were about to lose consciousness, you begged me not to tell anyone if ever you survived. I didn't understand the reason behind your request at that time, but I followed it anyway because it could be for a very important reason for all I know,"

The memories hit Yuffie like a gunshot wound on the chest—she remembered now how she had fought the wild monster, how it had heavily injured her and Gavin, and how it started a fire that killed off a lot of villagers that she failed to rescue. She could vividly recall one particular girl, who was a few years younger than her and possessed similar features that Yuffie had, like a petite figure and short hair. The girl had bravely pushed Yuffie out of harm's way as the beast tried to attack her with its claws while her back was turned. Yuffie had thanked the girl by giving her the moogle cloak to protect her from the flames engulfing the village. She remembered calling Reno instead of Reeve and their back up team moments before she lost consciousness. She couldn't remember anything after that.

Then, upon realizing how she literally owed the red-haired Turk her life, tears began to spring at the corners of her eyes as she regarded him gratefully.

"Thank you," she said, giving his hand a weak squeeze. "I don't know how I'll be able to repay you for what you did,"

Reno's lips curled at the corners in a teasing smile. "Just get better soon, and we'll go out on a date," he said jauntily, and Yuffie could not help but return his smile. Feeling a lot more braver at her positive response, Reno bent down to brush a chaste kiss on Yuffie's forehead. "Rest now. I'll be back later to check on you. The boss will have my hide if I don't show up at work soon—I've been dallying long enough already," with a casual wave, he strode out of the room, leaving Yuffie alone with her sudden gloomy train of thoughts.

How was everyone in Midgar doing? Reno had mentioned that Cloud and the others had thought she was dead. Godo most probably did as well. She wondered if they had really mourned her death like the Turk said. She knew she should let them know that she had made it out alive, but she was not yet ready to face them. She wasn't even remotely sure if she would be welcomed with open arms, after failing so badly at her mission. Her thoughts unwillingly drifted towards Vincent, and she was filled with curiosity with as to how he responded to her death. Would he have cared, even the tiniest bit? Would he shed a tear? She nearly laughed at the absurdity of her idea. Vincent Valentine was not the sort for tears.

With a dejected sigh, she closed her eyes and tried with all her might to remove the unwanted images of what happened in Kalm from her head. It was futile effort, but thankfully the nurse injected her with enough drugs to temporarily wipe the horrible memories away.

* * *

Two weeks later, the doctor decided that Yuffie was ready to start her rehabilitation sessions. Two months of being bedridden had not been exactly good for her muscles, and to her mortification, she could not even stand on her feet without the assistance of a walker. Reno went to visit her everyday, checking on her progress, while she struggled to make use of her weak limbs once more. Her cast had also been removed, and she was finally able to move her arms more freely.

One afternoon she was able to go to the bathroom on her own, and she was aghast to see the physical changes in her face as she stared at the mirror for the first time in months. Her hair had grown past her shoulders, and her cheeks were more hollowed than ever. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her lips were still pale.

"Yuffie?" Reno called out from outside the bathroom. "You okay in there?"

"Yes," she rasped out. "I just wanted to take a bath,"

She heard the scraping of a chair, and she imagined him taking a seat on the cushioned chair by her bedside. "Alright. Just holler if you need someone to scrub your back!"

Shaking her head bemusedly at his audacity, she stepped into the shower and decided that she was ready to let everyone know she was still alive. She knew for sure that Reeve would never let her work at WRO again after her failed attempt to save the village, but she would rather stay in the forest as an outcast rather than live in Wutai to fulfill her duty as the princess. Once she had healed completely, she would apologize to everyone for being a disappointment and start her life anew as a respectable materia hunter.

She made the mistake of telling Reno about her plans after stepping out of the shower. She gave an indignant pout when he started laughing about the part where she planned to live alone in the forest and hunt for materia. "You seriously think your friends will give up on you that easily?" Reno asked incredulously. "You must've hit your head pretty hard, Princess. You seem to have conveniently forgotten how much you and the rest of AVALANCHE love each other—I'm sure they'll welcome you back with open arms, and you'll exchange some cheesy lines about not giving up on each other, and there'll be unicorns shitting rainbows and teary-eyed reunions—" Yuffie saw him swallow convulsively. "—then you'll completely forget about poor ol' Reno,"

He tried to keep his voice light, but the vulnerability in his eyes tugged at Yuffie's heart. Without really thinking, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his lean waist. His eyes grew round at the affectionate gesture, but he relaxed and his arms went around her shoulders in an awkward embrace.

"I'm never going to forget you, even if I tried," she promised him fervently. "Much as I hate to say this, I owe you my life," she leaned back to gaze up into his sea-green eyes, and during that moment, she felt an inexplicable force coaxing her to kiss him. His lids lowered as he stared at her with undisguised longing, but he gently pulled away from her. Confused and hurt, Yuffie started to open her mouth to speak, but Reno held up a hand to stop her.

"I'd really want nothing more than to act like a depraved pervert and kiss you until you're wild and begging, but I'm afraid I'll have to put a reign on my selfish desires because I, for one thing, don't want you to act recklessly based on your feeling of gratitude towards me," he tried to sound unaffected, but the raw pain in his eyes was very much evident. "And besides, I know for a fact that you're still madly in love with Vincent Valentine,"

Yuffie gaped at him. "No, I'm not!" she fairly yelled.

Reno cocked a brow at her. "No use in denying it, sweetheart. I've seen the two of you together. The way you follow him around like a lovesick kitten, vying for his attention—"

"I never—"

"It's why you sought my company in the first place, isn't it?" he asked with a humorless laugh that tore through Yuffie's chest. "You wanted to make him jealous. And you succeeded."

Her bottom lip trembled as she tried to explain herself. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt the man who saved her life. She had to make him see, however, that she wasn't as selfish as he was pointing her out to be. "You're right—that had been my intention at first. But somehow along those random dates and shameless flirting, I discovered that there was more to you than meets the eye—you're unbelievably smarter than you let on, you could be a real gentleman when you put your heart into it, and you make a very entertaining companion," she exhaled slowly, quite unsure on how to proceed. "Believe it or not, I have actually grown to like you. A lot! I've come realize that you're not that bad, and sometimes I'd think that you're a much wiser choice because we're both in the same age bracket and we're actually more similar than we realize-"

The redhead shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. "Save your breath, princess. I know we went out on a few dates and made out once, but I can see that look in your eyes every time we're together that you wish it was him instead of me that you're with. Trust me, I know how crazy you are about that old vamp."

Yuffie wanted to deny his allegations, but her mouth refused to work. She honestly felt so disconcerted about her feelings towards Vincent and Reno at the moment. She knew that her love for the gunslinger never really went away despite her pathetic attempts to forget about him, but her growing attachment to the red-haired Turk was too intense to ignore. She was not merely feeling thankful that he rescued her—somehow during the times that Vincent had shunned her presence, she had grown fond of Reno in a way she never thought would happen. He had been there to cheer her up when Vincent broke her heart. He may be projecting a devil-may-care image but Yuffie knew him better now—she knew Reno was dependable, loyal, sweet, and really caring once she got to spend more time with him.

That didn't mean her feelings for Vincent Valentine had waned one bit, however.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "I'm just so confused right now, Reno. I... I'm really sorry," He gave a sad smile that made Yuffie's heart clench painfully.

"I know, sweetheart. I know."

* * *

"They're here."

Yuffie gave a start at Rude's voice from the doorway of her room. Her heart began thumping crazily against her chest as his announcement sank in her mind. There was no need for him to clarify who 'they' were. Damn Reno for not even thinking of warning her beforehand. She hadn't even taken a shower yet, and she obviously needed a haircut.

She was about to speak when the sound of clambering footsteps caught her attention. A cold sweat broke through her brow as she tried to collect herself. Her whole body began shaking with tremors, and her breathing started to come out shallow and uneven. _These are your friends, Yuffie, so stop feeling so damned nervous!_

"Get outta the way, you bastard!" Cid was the first one to enter the room after roughly pushing Rude away from the doorway. The cigarette from the air pilot's mouth dropped to the floor as he gaped at the sight of Yuffie sitting on the hospital bed. Barrett stood in stunned silence behind him, looking equally shocked upon seeing the ninja they thought was dead.

"Yuffie?" Tifa's voice trembled as she paused for a millisecond by the doorway. Recognition flashed in her eyes as she broke free from Cloud's supporting grip to rush towards Yuffie, who had started to weep openly at the sight of her friends. The young ninja found herself engulfed in a bone-crushing group hug from the people she considered not only as her comrades, but her closest friends as well.

Yuffie was quick to notice that Vincent was not with the gang, and her heart plummeted to the ground at the realization that he did not even think she was important enough to garner his attendance. She was bombarded with a barrage of questions from everyone, and she tried her best to answer their worried inquiries without letting them see how the gunslinger's absence affected her.

"How the fuck did you end up with the Turks, brat? That damned red-haired bastard won't tell us anything!" Cid took a seat on the chair Reno had grown fond of occupying, looking so pissed off at being withheld information about Yuffie.

Yuffie told them how she called Reno for back up before she lost consciousness, and how she had bullied the Turk into keeping her survival a secret from everyone. Her friends were obviously appalled by her decision, based from the mixed looks of surprised anger and disappointment on their faces.

"But why didn't you call the back up team from WRO in the first place?" Cloud asked, his mako-infused eyes filled with offended consternation. "Or you could have called us," the blonde swordsman took a deep breath, as if to calm himself. "We're you're friends, Yuffie. We would have been there for you sooner if you called us first,"

The young ninja bit on her lower lip, averting her gaze from them in shame. "I..." she released a shaky exhale, tears starting to blur her vision once more. She might as well get the truth out in the open, although she wasn't sure if they'd still consider her as their friend after her confession. "I was the one who demanded Reeve to make me go on that mission. He had originally wanted Vincent to come along with me because he was more familiar with the place, but I was so wrapped up in avoiding him that I asked Gavin to join me instead. Because of my stubbornness and my pride, I let the entire village burn and a lot of people died. I was too humiliated to ask you guys for help because everything's my fault. It was a stroke of luck that Reno came on time to save me from the burning village, but the guilt over acting so selfishly made me feel like I didn't deserve to be given a second chance to live,"

Tifa wrapped her arms comfortingly around Yuffie, tears still streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed against her friend's shoulder. Cloud and the others were respectfully silent, not wanting to burden the young ninja with their lectures and unpleasant comments about her foolhardy decision.

"Yeah, you really need to apologize for making all of us believe you were dead," Cid grumbled, his eyes shiny with moisture. "I swear I am going to murder you myself if you do that stupid stunt again, ya hear me?"

Yuffie nodded, blowing her nose on the tissue Cloud thoughtfully offered her. "Does Godo know I'm alive?" she asked once she was able to compose herself. Tifa nodded, explaining that her father was also on his way to the hospital with Reeve.

She wanted to ask about Vincent's whereabouts so badly, but she surmised he was probably at the cave with his beloved Lucrecia. The rest of AVALANCHE were careful not to mention anything concerning the gunslinger as well, but once Reeve and Godo arrived, she finally got the answer she had been secretly wanting to hear.

"Vincent's on a mission at the moment," Reeve announced to no one in particular, but his eyes were on Yuffie. "He had been working too hard these past months, and he cannot be swayed from overexerting himself—he would take one mission after another without even stopping to rest," he gave Yuffie an apologetic look, then turned to face Cloud and the others. "I have already sent him a message about Yuffie being alive, but he hasn't responded yet,"

Yuffie wilfully ignored the stabbing ache in her chest at Reeve's news, and instead focused on her father's proposal. He had been steadily pleading for her return to Wutai to fulfill her duty as the princess.

"I know Reeve would never let me set foot inside WRO again after what happened, but I would rather stay in the forest and hunt for materia than return to Wutai," she told her father bluntly. "I'm not going to act like a puppet and become one of the tourist attractions you've become so fond of creating,"

Godo opened his mouth to argue, but it was apparent that he was more than content to simply relish upon the fact that his daughter was alive rather than force her into doing something she didn't like. "Fine. But stay in Wutai until you completely recover," he told her firmly, tears building at the corners of his eyes. "You may not believe it, but I do love you, daughter. And I have missed you greatly."

Yuffie's eyes welled up with tears again. "I know, even if you have a very twisted way of showing it, old man. And I love you too,"

* * *

Yuffie was released from the health care facility after three days. Reno had a helicopter waiting for her at the top of the building, and together they rode to Midgar, where everyone was waiting for her return. Reno was looking contemplative was he maneuvered the helicopter in the air, his usual air of arrogance replaced by a quiet demeanor that unnerved Yuffie.

"If you grow any more silent, you'd be wearing a red cloak and sleeping in coffins before you can even say Jenova," Yuffie told him in a mock serious tone that made Reno chuckle.

"You shouldn't be making fun of your beloved Vincent Valentine," he commented mildly. "I bet you can't wait to see the old vamp," he added with a humorless laugh.

Yuffie raised a questioning brow at him. "Why would I want to see him when he didn't even bother visiting me in the hospital?" she countered bitterly.

Reno paused to look at her in puzzlement. "Didn't Reeve explain that he was on a mission?" he inquired in the same calm manner, earning a reproving pout from Yuffie.

"You're such a buzzkill, Reno," she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm trying to convince myself that I hate him, and you're not even helping me,"

Reno's smile faltered. "You're still definitely in love with him, then." he murmured. "You wouldn't be so affected by his absence otherwise, sweetheart."

It was Yuffie's turn to become quiet. She wanted to deny his conclusion so badly, but she knew he was right. She was resolved to forget about him, however. She would get over Vincent Valentine, no matter how hard it took.

"I'm going to be staying at Wutai after this," she mentioned suddenly, carefully steering the topic away from her unresolved feelings for the gunslinger. "I'm gonna play the part of the Princess until I'm completely healed. Godo told me I could do whatever I wanted after my recovery, just as long as I don't dive headlong into trouble any longer,"

A smile curled up at corners of of Reno's lips. "Could you do that? Play the part as the Princess of Wutai and stay out of trouble?" he asked.

"I can try."

"Will you allow me to pay you a visit there?"

Yuffie's eyes were bright with amusement as she regarded the Turk fondly. "Only if you promise not to step on the train of my gown and call me 'your highness',"

Reno grinned and nodded his assent. The rest of the ride was comfortably silent, until he assisted her down from the helicopter, his blue-green eyes pensive.

"I need you to be perfectly honest with me, Yuffie Kisaragi," he whispered, pulling her close to him. "Is there any chance at all that you'll be able to move on from Vincent and learn to love me like you love him?"

Yuffie swallowed, her breath rushing past her lips as she blindly searched for the appropriate words to convey her feelings. She did not want to lie to him. She had no choice but to say the truth, no matter how much it hurt. "Not at the moment. As much as I hate to admit it, I still have feelings for him, and I don't think it's going away anytime soon. I'm really sorry, Reno."

She thought Reno would recoil from her, but her painfully honest answer made him gather her closely in his arms, his chin resting comfortably on the top of her head.

"Thank you for not continuing to lead me on," he murmured. His sigh parted the locks of Yuffie's hair. "I'm the one who usually does that to women, you know. But I guess it's about time I get a taste of my own medicine. Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm not mad at you or anything. I'm just glad that you're alive. We can still stay as friends, right?"

Yuffie nodded silently, her tears rendering her speechless. She buried her face on the crook of his shoulder, her arms tightening on his waist.

"I love you, Reno." she said those words because she knew that he understood precisely the meaning of her statement.

He gave a shaky laughter as he returned the pressure of her hug. "I love you too, little one."

* * *

"Do you really need to fix me up like this, Teef?" Yuffie groused as she sat in front of Tifa's dresser. She had been enduring Tifa and Shera's ruthless ministrations for the past hour, and she was starting to get bored.

"Of course we do," Shera answered for Tifa, who was concentrating on lining the creases of Yuffie's eyes with kohl. "Tonight's all about you, Yuffie, so you definitely need to look your best."

"If you want me to look my best, please hand me a pair of scissors so I could cut my hair because it gets in the—"

"No," Tifa said firmly. "Just keep it long for tonight. I know those long locks will probably decrease your level of agility as a ninja, but please bear with us for just one evening," the teasing light in the barmaid's eyes coaxed a smile from Yuffie.

"Fine. What's the use of primping me up anyway? It's not like we're celebrating outside Seventh Heaven. Plus, there won't be anyone around save for you guys," Yuffie was back to complaining.

"Yes, but your handsome Turk's going to be here too," Shera announced with a knowing grin.

Yuffie wrinkled her nose. "You mean Reno? He's not _my_ Turk," she mumbled, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her emotions.

Tifa and Shera exchanged looks over Yuffie's head. "I think he really likes you, Yuffie," Tifa commented casually as she brushed the fine black strands of Yuffie's shoulder-length hair. "You should give him a chance."

Shera nodded in agreement. "Do you like him, Yuffie?"

Yuffie bit on her bottom lip, feeling embarrassed at being interrogated by her friends. "I do, but it's too bad that I'm still hopelessly in love with that cold-blooded icicle king who did nothing but throw my feelings right back in face," she answered straightforwardly, blinking back the threat of tears stinging her eyes. "I don't want to be unfair to Reno so we decided to stay as friends."

The two women were quiet as they pondered Yuffie's words. Shera cleared her throat, and began to speak. "You know, Yuffie... about Vincent..." she paused, looking at Tifa before continuing. The barmaid nodded for her to proceed. "We thought you ought to know how he's been since he thought you were dead," with a small sigh, she met Yuffie's curious eyes in the mirror. "We think he blamed himself for your death. He had gone missing for a week after that terrible day, and when Reeve and the others finally found him, he went back to WRO and did the most dangerous missions. He would jump headfirst at the first sign of peril, and would not let anyone tend to his injuries no matter how severe they were. It was like he was relishing upon the pain-and Reeve even hinted that he thought that Vincent was doing this on purpose to test the limits of his immortality. It was like he wanted to follow you into the Lifestream..."

Yuffie's chest felt tight at Shera's revelation. She blinked away the sudden hot moisture building behind her lids and mustered a devil-may-care smile. "If Vincent decided to go all emo and suicidal on everyone, it's not my fault. I'm not that important to him, guys. Maybe he's doing that so he could be reunited once and for all with Lucrecia what's-her-face," the tremor in her voice gave away the turmoil she felt in her gut.

"But Yuffie..." Tifa looked at the young ninja searchingly. "If he were doing it for Lucrecia, he would have done it long ago, and not after he thought you had died."

Yuffie's shoulders slumped down in defeat. "It's just that..." a lone tear escaped her eye, the crystalline droplet rolling down her cheek. She bit hard on her bottom lips to stop the rest of her tears. "Ugh, never mind-I don't want to ruin my makeup with this talk about Vincent anymore-I'm quite determined to forget about my feelings for him, so please, let's just move on with happier thoughts, okay?"

Both women complied with her request, while Yuffie quietly contemplated about the information they shared with her.

Tifa made Yuffie wear a short green halter dress that fell mid-thigh and a pair of white ballet flats. They had a little argument because Yuffie wanted to tie her hair in a ponytail, but Tifa wanted it down. They settled on tying it in a half-ponytail with a green ribbon Marlene had been so kind to lend her.

"Whoa—you look almost like a woman!" Reno exclaimed comically as she appeared downstairs behind a proudly smiling Tifa.

She fluttered her lashes at the redhead Turk. "Thanks. You look almost straight." her comment earned a hearty guffaw from Cid. "Where's Rude?" she asked sweetly, while Reno pretended to scowl at her.

Bottles of beer and other liquor were passed around for the rest of the evening, while everyone celebrated Yuffie's safe return. Everyone did not forget to thank Reno, who had blushed and almost choked on his beer when Cid and Barrett coughed out their words of gratitude.

Yuffie told everyone that she will be returning to Wutai soon. Her announcement merited mixed reactions from her friends-they were mostly happy that she was reuniting with her father, but they also wanted to spend more time with her.

"Does this mean you'll be doin' your duties as princess once you get there?" Cid asked as he scratched the back of his head. "I can't even imagine you in a gown, or issuin' fuckin' decrees and doin' all that shit princesses do,"

"I'm sure Yuffie will make a fine princess," Shera shot her husband a warning glare. "You'll rule your country quite splendidly, I think."

"Don't worry, we'll pop by for a surprise visit from time to time," Tifa said smilingly. Yuffie was about to reply when Cloud interrupted her.

"I'm sorry guys, but you all have to hear this. Reeve just called. He said that Vincent's back from his mission, but he's heavily injured," Yuffie felt anxiety roll like acid in her stomach at his news. "He refused to be put in the infirmary and had taken off from the WRO headquarters before anyone could stop him. Reeve thinks he's headed here to see for himself if Yuffie's really alive,"

Yuffie's pulse quickened, and her breathing grew shallow as Cloud's words sank into her brain. Vincent could come bursting into Seventh Heaven any moment, and she wasn't emotionally prepared for their reunion. "Excuse me, I need to get some fresh air," she told no one in particular as she went out of the bar, her mind a complete mess.

* * *

She felt his presence before she even saw him. The fine hairs at the back of her neck rose and goosebumps freckled her arms as a tingling sense of awareness shot all throughout her body. The celebratory noise people were making inside Seventh Heaven faded from Yuffie's ears as she walked out of the bar. She was barely two steps away from the door when she spotted Vincent approximately five feet away from where she stood. He froze in his tracks as his shocked crimson eyes met hers.

Yuffie felt her whole body tremble from the effort to remain motionless and unruffled by his sudden presence. She heard herself speak in a voice that wasn't at all steady. "Hey, Vincent. Nice seeing you again,"

He stayed silent and unmoving, but his breathing started to come out in deep and heavy bursts. "You... you're—" he still seemed to be completely jarred by her being alive to form a coherent sentence.

She was about to open her mouth to speak, but a sudden red blur of movement almost knocked her to the ground. She found herself engulfed in Vincent's tight embrace, the familiar smell of him surrounding her. She was quick to notice that he was shaking as badly as she was, but what caught her attention were the warm crystalline droplets dampening his cheeks. He buried his face on the crook of her neck, not letting her see his expression, but she was quick to catch on the fact that he, Vincent Valentine, was actually crying.

Realizing that made Yuffie cry along with him—whether it was for relief, happiness, or grief, she had no clue, but she no longer cared. All that mattered was that Vincent Valentine seemed glad to know that she was alive. She did not need to hear any words from him. Feeling his arms around her and witnessing his tears were sufficient proof.

After a few moments he finally raised his head, and his trembling hands cupped the sides of Yuffie's face. His eyes were volatile with an unbridled mix of emotions that held the young ninja's arrested stare. "How... I never dreamed..." his hoarse voice trailed off, his thumbs caressing her wet cheeks. He stared unblinkingly down at her in wonder. His mouth slowly descended over hers in a kiss that made up for the lost moments they should have had together, until he found the perfect alignment that made her weak all over. Gathering her closer into the hard support of his body, he explored her slowly, as if she were a dream and he was afraid of waking up.

Yuffie's arms went around his neck before her knees turned completely into jelly. One kiss began before the last one ended, strung together by urgent lips and tongues. The world behind her ceased to exist, her senses focusing solely on the man holding her so closely... so lovingly.

Vincent broke their kiss abruptly, panting. Cradling her head in his hands, he pressed his forehead to hers. His eyes were like molten lava as he gazed at her. "I love you, Yuffie." he whispered roughly against her lips. "I'm not letting you go without telling you how I feel again."

A sob ripped out from Yuffie's throat as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "You idiot! Did I really have to die first before you get the balls to tell me how you feel?" she punched him feebly on the chest, her bottom lip quivering. His thumbs brushed her tears away, and he whispered his apologies over and over again as his lips ghosted on her forehead in a feather-light kiss.

"I'm sorry."

But his apology wasn't enough for Yuffie. She tugged his head down and pressed her mouth desperately against his, using her tongue and teeth to let him know that she was still angry with him. He responded ardently, matching each passionate stroke of her lips with nips and licks that made her knees unable to support her weight any longer. When she reluctantly pulled away from him, her eyes were shiny with a myriad of emotions for Vincent that words cannot simply describe.

"Yuffie, I... I know I told you that you deserved someone better but I..." he took a deep breath before continuing. "If you're willing to give me a chance, I can... I can try to be better for you... You see I... haven't fallen in love in a long while, and I don't know how to go about the process without making a fool out of myself... or hurting you unintentionally..."

The smile on Yuffie's face looked so radiant that Vincent felt the muscles of his face working in a similar manner. "Of course I'm willing to give you a thousand more chances, if that's how frigging long it will take for you to realize that I love every dark and brooding inch of you."

Vincent's arms tightened around her, his lips brushing the top of her head. "Thank you."

Yuffie raised her head and planted a quick kiss on his still smiling mouth. "Reeve told us you got injured," she commented, her brows meeting in concern as she quickly assessed him. "Are you okay?"

Vincent pulled slightly away to look her in the eye. "I've never felt better," he replied with a ghost of a grin on his lips. "Your kisses seem capable of healing my injuries quicker than a couple of materias could,"

She nearly melted in a puddle of mush at his feet. She never thought that Vincent would speak to her in such a fondly teasing manner. Who would have thought that the gunslinger had it in him?

Giving him a naughty stare, she whispered in his ear, "Just imagine how faster you'd heal if I did more than kiss you,"

Vincent felt his face getting warm, an undeniable rush of desire pooling down his loins. He was at a loss for words, but he let Yuffie guide him to his apartment and show him how to properly tend to his injuries with kisses and a whole lot more.

* * *

A/N: So you've reached the end of my story. Hope you guys enjoyed this, because I did! I was thinking of making an epilogue of some sort, but it depends on my schedule. Thank you for reading! Reviews would be very welcome. :)


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